Eternal Love
by obeytherandomness
Summary: This is the sequel to Fake Love and True Love so if you haven't already read those please read them first. Sasuke has realized that Naruto believes that his love is fake so now he has to find a way to prove to Naruto that his love will be true for all of eternity. Sasunaru
1. Chapter 1

It's dark. I can't see anything. I can't feel anything. It's just dark. Is this what it feels like to be dead? Strange. I always thought that Hell would be filled with flames. Now that I think about it, this is almost worse. An eternity of nothing. No light. No pain. No smells. No sounds. Nothing but darkness.

"Naruto." Wait. Someone is calling my name. It sounds so far away, but it's still there. Who is it? Who could possibly be calling to me in Hell. I'm sure that no one I know would have joined me down here. Besides nothingness cannot be penetrated by anything. So, why did I hear that voice? And why do I feel the slightest sensation of a warm hand holding mine? Maybe I'm just imagining things. That must be it. In the absence of something to listen to my mind is supplying hallucinations. This will be my curse for the rest of eternity.

"Naruto." That voice. It seems so frantic to get to me. Why? Does somebody else need my… No. Does somebody else need Kyuubi's help? That must be the case. They need me to help them get to the Kyuubi. That's always what it's about. Kyuubi. I'm sorry whoever you are, but I am dead. I cannot help you get to the Kyuubi. If you want him, you'll have to get him yourself.

"Naruto." There it is again. That voice. That strangely familiar voice. Who's is it? Who is calling to me in this nothingness?

"Naruto." Sasuke? I think that's Sasuke's voice calling to me. Why is he calling to me? He didn't die during the battle with Itachi did he? I hope not. Sasuke doesn't deserve to die like that. He deserves to live a long life with some beautiful woman. That's what he deserves and yet I'm still trying to grab hold of him and keep him here with me. I'm very selfish. I'm sorry Sasuke.

"Naruto?" I want to see him. I want to see him one last time before I surrender to this nothingness that will be my fate. I want to see him, but my eyelids feel so heavy. They don't want to move. I'm so tired. But I want to see Sasuke so I force the stupid things that were blocking my view of Sasuke out of the way as quickly as I could, which was actually rather slowly.

"Sasuke?" I asked. My throat feels soar. I wonder why. I don't think that I did anything that would damage my voice. Oh well, it doesn't matter. It'll probably heal in a few moments. That is if I wasn't dead. I wonder if it will work the same when now that I am dead. Probably not.

"Yes," he smiled. "I'm here Naruto." Why is he smiling? Or better yet, why is he here? I'm dead I shouldn't be able to see anyone that is alive. Let alone communicate with them. That is unless…

"Are we dead?" I asked. That is the only explanation. We are both dead and Sasuke is here to punish me for endangering the Kyuubi's life when we were fighting Itachi. That has to be it. That is the only explanation.

"No," He shook his head slowly. I must be seeing things though, because I think I see tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. I see. This must be another illusion that is brought on by the nothingness. I wonder how long I'll be able to withstand these illusions before I go insane? Is it even possible to go insane in Hell? I don't know, but I guess I'll find out soon. Especially if these illusions continue to show me these scenes with Sasuke.

"Where are we?" I asked. I'd rather like to know where we are in this illusion. I think, for my sanity, I need to play along with this illusion. If I'm going to do that, I need to know all of the particulars.

"We're in the hospital," Sasuke answered. Why are we here? That's strange. I've never actually been the one who was lying on the hospital bed too injured to move, but I guess that makes sense. The nothingness doesn't want to give me enough room to move. After all, that would be against the punishment that I will have to deal with for the rest of eternity.

"Are you hurt?" I asked. It was the only thing that I really wanted to know. Sasuke was my main priority. Forever and always.

"Just a couple of flesh wounds," He answered with a slightly amused smile tempered with worry as he got just the slightest bit closer to me. For a moment I wondered if I should move away from him. What if he decided to hurt me? But I don't care about that. I like to be close to Sasuke no matter what the reason is. "But I will be fine."

"Why are you here?" I asked. If he was truly uninjured as he claimed than why was he in a hospital. I never thought that he would be here for any reason except his own injury. It's amazing what my mind can cook up for me in my illusions.

"What do you mean?" Seriously? How can he not know that I'm talking about his uncharacteristic appearance at the hospital that he hates? There's no reason to be here. I guess there is one. Since I'm here, the Kyuubi must also be here. Could it be that he still needed the Kyuubi's help.

"Is your brother still alive?" I asked cautiously. I know how he hates any mention of his brother, but I have to know if I'm going to be able to help him. If Kyuubi's going to be able to help him.

"No," He shook his head. If Itachi's not alive, than why is he here?

"Then why are you here?" I asked again. I have to know. Even if this is just an illusion that my mind has made up for me, I have to know why.

"I'm here to see you." he answered cautiously. Was he only answering the way he thought I wanted to hear? I don't want that. I want to know the truth. No matter how much those words made my heart swell, I want to know the truth. I'm done living in this fake love. Sasuke deserves so much more and I can no longer stand to live with this pain that has been filling my chest. Please, I know this is an illusion, but please just tell me the truth for once.

"Why?" I asked. The blunt question made him flinch, but I can't help it. I want to know the truth "You got all that you wanted from Kyuubi so why have you come to see me."

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Stop it. Please stop it. I just want to know the truth.

"Kyuubi helped you kill Itachi," I elaborated, "so you don't need me anymore."

"You think that the only reason that I was dating you was because I wanted you to help me kill Itachi?" he gasped. Please don't pretend that you weren't doing that. I've known this whole time that you were so please just stop pretending.

I looked away, but nodded my head slowly so that he could see my answer. That must have been the wrong move, though, because Sasuke stood from his chair so quickly that it fell over with a loud clanging sound. My answer must have made him angry because he released the careful hold that he had on my hand and moved to the other side of the room to pace. He always paces when he's made. It helps him think. I wonder what he's thinking about now. I guess it doesn't really matter. I should apologize to him though. I don't want him to be made at me. Even if he hates me I don't want him to be mad at me.

Sasuke turned to me after a moment of walking and it almost looked like his eyes softened. I must be mistaken though. Sasuke's eyes don't soften when they look at me. Besides it's hard to see past the blurriness that's starting to form in my eyes. What is that? Oh it's tears. I hadn't even noticed. Sasuke did though, he notices everything, and now he's coming over to me. That's not good. Sasuke doesn't like it when people show weakness and here I am getting ready to cry. I have to stop before he gets mad at me again.

He's coming back now, but I can't get the tears to go away. He's going to be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me Sasuke. He's at the bed now. He's moving closer. He's moving on to the bed. What is he doing? Is he getting ready to hurt me? That's the only reason that I can think that he would be this close. That's the only reason that any one has ever gotten this close before. Sasuke's not like that though. He doesn't hurt people. Not physically at least.

Sasuke laid down on his side so that he could fit on the small bed with me, but our knees still touched. I have to admit, the contact felt so much better than I had imagined. Well I guess it doesn't since this whole moment is just my imagination, but that doesn't matter right now. While I was alive with Sasuke, we barely ever touched each other. Sasuke doesn't like physical contact. Especially not with me. I can understand that though. Nobody really does.

"Naruto," he said quietly. Why was he talking so quietly? I don't understand. I don't understand anything right now. "I told Lady Tsunade that I didn't want you to come with me to kill Itachi."

"What?" my eyes widened drastically. I wasn't even good enough to go with Sasuke to defeat Itachi? But I thought he needed me to go so that he could get Kyuubi. No. That's not true. He could have just gotten Kyuubi before he left. It would have been a much quicker trip and there would be the added challenge of my screw up. Sasuke was right it would have been better if I had just stayed home.

"I told her that I wanted you to stay home because I didn't want you to get hurt," he continued. Lie. That must be a lie. Sasuke wouldn't worry about me like that. It has to be a lie. Why can't you just tell me the truth Sasuke. "Itachi is really strong, and he's been chasing after you for a while. I knew that whatever chance he got, he would try to kill you. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let my brother kill you, but Tsunade said that I had to take you with me. She said something about not thinking that I would come back if you weren't there. I don't think she thought that I would survive without your help." he stopped for a moment. That's good. I need the time to convince myself again that what Sasuke is saying to me is all just lies. Just words conjured up by illusions from the nothingness. But they sound so believable. I want to believe them. I want to believe the lies, but I want to know the truth even more. Please tell me the truth.

He looked away from me. See. Now I know he's lying. People look away from you when they're lying. He's looking away from me so he must be lying. Right? "So I took you with me with every intention of protecting you, but then I saw you get injured and I couldn't believe what was happening. The only thing I could think about the whole time that I was facing Itachi was getting to you and saving you. The only thing I could think about was how I wasn't going to be able to live without you. The only thing I could think about was how much I love you."

"You love me?" I couldn't help it. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I wish I had though. Now I've given him permission to continue lying to me, but maybe these lies aren't so bad. Maybe a little more time enjoying this fake love won't ruin me too horribly. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm dead and this is just an illusion. Everything is fake, but I don't care.

"Yes." He looked me straight in the eye when he said that. Sasuke's a good liar. He always has been. It's one of the best skills to have as a shinobi. I'm glad that he is so good at it thought because it makes it so much easier for me to believe him. "I, Uchiha Sasuke, am in love with Uzumaki Naruto. If he were to be sad, then I would try to comfort him. If he were to be mad, then I would be mad with him. If he were to be happy, then I would admire his happiness. If he were to be hurt, then I would beat up whatever idiotic bastard would dare do such a thing even if it were myself. If he were to hate me, then I would hate myself as well. If he were to die then I would kill myself just to be with him."

"Why?" I managed to choke past the lump that seemed to be forming in my throat. I don't care that I've asked him to lie to me even more. I don't care about knowing the truth. I just want to hear more of those sweet words. Please lie to me more.

"Because," he said as he kissed away the tears on my right cheek that I hadn't even noticed had slipped past my attempts to hold them back, "there is no person who is stronger," kissed my scarred left cheek, "faster," kissed my small nose, "more beautiful," kissed my tan forehead, "and absolutely perfect like you." He kissed my lips. He actually kissed my lips! Sasuke has never done that before. The only place that he has ever kissed me before was on my hand when we first started this fake love. His lips are kind of dry, but I don't care because they're Sasuke's. I'm so happy. Now I think I'll be able to bare the nothingness that awaits just beyond this illusion. Now I think I won't go insane because now I have this illusion, which has given me something that I never thought I could have. I don't care that it's fake. I don't care about the truth anymore. I just want this moment to remain in my mind just like it is for the rest of eternity.

"I want you to be mine forever," he said. I can't be any happier than this moment. It's just not possible. The only thing that could make me happier was if this were really happening, but since that will never happen, this is the happiest moment of my life even though it occurred after my death. Thank you Sasuke. Thank you so much for giving me such a happy life even if you didn't do it on purpose. Thank you so much.

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Woot! This is the first chapter of Eternal Love. This is the start of everything getting better. I hope you enjoy this chapter. thank you so much for reading. i love all you guys who have sticked with this story so far. thank you. and as usual please R&R.

Oh yea! i always forget to do this. i don't own Naruto or any of the character from said show.


	2. Chapter 2

It's finally time for Naruto to come home with me. I've waited for over a week, being kicked out when visiting hours are over only to sneak back in when the nurses are gone, for this very moment. Tsunade-sama is filling out the paperwork right now. Apparently I just have to sign a few things and then he will be released to my care, but it's taking so long. Every agonizing minute seems to be another hour that I have to wait for Naruto to be released. I hate it. I just want to bring him home.

"Sasuke." Finally, Tsunade-sama is calling for me. Now I just have to sign my name and we can be off.

I reach out to take the pen from her, but she stops me. What now? What could possibly still be in the way of me bringing Naruto home?

"Before you sign these papers," Lady Tsunade began, "I want to talk to you about Naruto's condition."

"You said he was already healed," I growl. I can't help it. I want to take Naruto home already.

"He is," Tsunade-sama agreed, "physically. It's just that…"

"It's just that what?" I press. I'm not really feeling all that patient right now and her pauses really tick me off.

"It's just that I think that he has some mental trauma that has been long overlooked," Tsunade-sama finally got out. However, I no longer wanted to go immediately to Naruto's side. I still want to do that, but now I feel that I must hear Lady Tsunade out.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Naruto has suffered a lot," Tsunade continued, "more so, I think, mentally than physically. He's done a good job of hiding his torture behind a mask, but I think it's finally spilling through. I don't think he can handle all of the mental battery that he has suffered and he's finally breaking down."

"I won't let him," I say determinedly. It's not like I didn't know about Naruto's deteriorating mental health. I have observed, and tried unsuccessfully to stop him from falling, but now I think I will finally be able to be successful if only Lady Tsunade would just let me take him home already. Besides, if he does fall into insanity, I will either pull him back up or fall with him trying.

"Alright," Tsunade sighs. She knows she won't be able to get much more from me. She knows that the only thing I care about at the moment is getting to my Naruto. "Just sign these papers and the hospital will release Naruto to you."

"Finally," I say as I snatch the documents from her hand. I write my signature so fast that I'm pretty sure it's not even legible, but I don't care at the moment because I can finally take Naruto home.

"One more thing," Tsunade-sama says as she takes the sign forms from me. "He hasn't been sleeping well, so make sure he does."

I give her one last nod before running in the direction that I know Naruto's room is. I can't wait any longer. I have to get to Naruto now. I have to take him home with me.

"Naruto?" I whisper quietly as I slip through the door to his room.

"Yes?" Naruto asks from his silent spot on the hospital bed. He looks so exhausted. There are bags under his eyes and his skin looks a little pale for him. Tsunade was right. He really hasn't been sleeping.

"Tsunade-sama has given me the permission to bring you home," I say as I walk up to him. He watches me as I get closer and he watches my hand as I reach up to caress his beautiful cheek. '_I'm going to save you Naruto,' _I promise him in my mind, _'I'm going to save you no matter what it takes.' _"Are you ready to go?" I ask out loud.

"Yea," Naruto smiles hesitantly. He still doesn't trust me. I don't think he ever did, but I want him to. I want him to know that there is at least one person that he can always trust and rely on. I want him to know that I will always be there for him no matter what. I'm going to have to prove that to him, but I don't care. I will do whatever it takes to make Naruto happy. Even if I have to kill myself to make him happy, I will do that.

Naruto slips off of his bed. He's already dressed in his normal orange jumpsuit so I don't have to worry about waiting for him to get dressed before we can leave. So, with one final look around the room to make sure that there is nothing else that we should bring with us, I open the door and allow Naruto to stumble past me. He's still a little weak from lying in bed for all this time and I wonder if I should offer to carry him, but I don't know if he would appreciate that. In fact, I've just realized, I don't know very much about Naruto's likes and dislikes. Before I would have said that he loves his orange jumpsuit and the copious amounts of ramen that he consumes, but now I'm even starting to doubt that. He won't look at himself when he wears the thing, and he consumes ramen so fast that I'm not even sure if he can taste the stuff. I need to learn more about him. I have to.

Naruto stumbles once again and I can't stand to watch him struggle. I can't stand it. I have to do something. "Naruto," I say.

"Yes?" he stops and turns towards me as he asks this. His hands are by his side so I take one and, right in the middle of the lobby where everyone could see, I kissed it lovingly. Naruto's eyes widened and he looked around. For a moment I thought that I had done something to upset him, but, when he looked back at me, he smiled.

"Let me carry you." It wasn't a demand. It was more of a very hopeful request. I want to help him and having him so close to me will ensure that I can touch him. I can always be in contact with his body. I can always feel him breathing. I can always feel his heartbeat. I can always make sure that he's alive. I can't believe I didn't realize how desperate I was to be near him, and touch him, until now.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked cautiously as he looked around once more with a blush adorning his face. He looks cute when he blushes. I should make him do it more often. I should make him happy more often.

"Of course," I say as I move bit closer to him. His body is finally warm again. There is no more trace of the cold death that was looming over him only days ago. Thank god.

Naruto's blush deepens and he gives me a short and only slightly hesitant nod.

I can't help but to smile as I crouch down in front of him and he climbs on my back so that I can give him a piggyback ride. His arms wrap around my neck and he holds me as tightly as he can without choking me. I don't think I'd really care if he did choke me, just as long as he was holding onto me like this.

I stand up and walk out the door and into Konoha village. My house is practically on the other side of the village so I'm going to have to walk a long way. I don't care though. Just as long as I've got Naruto with me. Alive.

Naruto buries his head into my shoulder and I suddenly realize that everyone is staring at us. I don't care. They can look at us all they want. They need to know that Naruto is mine. They need to know that if they hurt Naruto, I will not hesitate in killing them. They need to know that I will do anything to make him happy. They need to know this and so does Naruto.

Right now I'm the only one who knows how far the depth of my love goes, but soon everyone will know. They will all know that I am so deeply in love with Naruto that there are no words to describe it. I am so deeply in love with there is nothing that any of the villagers can do to change my mind. They all need to know this. Especially Naruto.

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Sorry about not updating in a while, but I hope you like this chapter too.


	3. Chapter 3

I can't believe Sasuke carried me all the way home. Everyone was staring at us and he just glared at them. I just can't believe it. Sasuke would never carry me in public even when I was really injured. It was always Kakashi that carried me. But Sasuke's body was so warm and I could feel his heart beat under the palm of my hand the whole way. I know this is all just my illusion, my punishment in death, but it all feels so real. And I want to believe it's real so badly. I want to, but I can't.

Sasuke let go of my legs so that I could climb down and off of him as soon as we were in the living room of his apartment. I did so, but I felt the loss of contact immediately. I want to go into the kitchen, where he is apparently making something to eat, and tangle my hand in his shirt. I wonder if he would let me do that in this illusion. Will it even go that far? Or will my fingers get just close enough to feel him without touching him and then everything would go away? I don't want that to happen, but I want to touch Sasuke so badly.

I stand and go into the kitchen on shaky legs. He's there, standing in front of the stove with his back to me. There's a pot on top of the stove with something that I don't want to try to identify at the moment and a cookbook to Sasuke's right. He's reading it with one of his not-so-serious serious faces. He has a lot of different serious faces. Most of them revolve around fighting and doing jutsu. I don't think he's realized that he makes different faces for the different types of jutsus he does. I should probably tell him. I don't want to him to be at a disadvantage because I neglected to tell him something like that. But, the thing is, I don't really think that anyone else has noticed. The different faces are so subtle that I don't think anyone else has paid close enough attention to be able to tell them apart.

The face he's making right now is one of his normal day serious faces. He usually makes this one when he's doing something that he thinks is really important, but has never done before in his life. Is he making that face because he's making food for me? I don't know, but I want to pretend that that is the reason. I want this illusion to allow me to pretend that, for once in my life, I am loved and that Sasuke is the one who loves me.

I reach forward slowly, not wanting the illusion to notice what I am doing and try to stop me, and finally my fingers wrap around his sleeve. He tenses and I pull back and realize that I really shouldn't have invaded Sasuke's personal space without letting him know. Before my left hand can retreat fully, though, Sasuke catches it in both of his and pulls it forward to press a kiss on the middle finger. It's the same one that I broke when I tried to hold his hand that one time. Sasuke doesn't know that though.

"I'm a ninja Naruto," Sasuke speaks over my hand. "You can't just sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry," I apologize. I knew this illusion wouldn't be that kind to me.

"No," Sasuke shakes his head and kisses my finger again. "It's nothing to apologize for. It's just that my instincts tell me that someone who touches me when I'm not expecting it is probably my enemy. And I know that I zone out sometimes and lose track of my surroundings so I no longer know who around me is friend or foe. You are not my enemy and I want to be able to hold your hand, but you just have to remember that sometimes I will react badly to unexpected touches. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Ok?"

I nod. It's the only thing I can think to do right now. Sasuke is giving me permission to touch him as long as I tell him before I do. I'm so happy right now and I think that my face is practically splitting in half with the smile that I'm allowing to form on my lips.

Sasuke smiles back at me before moving my hand back to his shirtsleeve and turning back to the food. "I'm just making some soup," he says to me. "Lady Tsunade said that you should be waned back onto normal food since they weren't really given enough time to do that for you while you were in the hospital. Is that ok?"

"Yes," I answer. I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, but Sasuke is always right. I lean forward and put my head on top of Sasuke's shoulder, just above where my hand is. It's comfortable and Sasuke doesn't complain so I stay like that until my body protests by making my legs buckle underneath me. I have to lean more heavily against Sasuke just to make sure that I don't fall.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asks as he looks over his shoulder to try to see my face. He can't see it, though. It's hidden in his shoulder, so the only thing he sees is my hair.

"I'm fine," I nod slowly. I don't really trust myself to do anything more than that because I can feel a sudden feeling of nausea overcoming me. This is so weird. I don't think I've ever felt this weak when this many days have passed since the last battle before. Maybe Kyuubi is punishing me for being an idiot and jumping into the battle. Or maybe my illusion wants to remind me that all of this isn't real. That's the more likely answer. Even if Kyuubi does hate me like everyone else does, he wouldn't want the body that's carrying him to be injured and put him in danger.

"Here," Sasuke wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up just high enough that he can set me down on the counter. Now that I don't have to be standing on my own, I feel a lot better. Sasuke's amazing. He knows everything that needs to be done to help people. I wish I could be as great as Sasuke. That's never going to happen. Well then, I wish that I can at least be good enough to remain by Sasuke's side forever. That's never going to happen either because I'm dead, but I can still wish it.

"Thank you Sasuke." It means more than just thanking him for helping me right now. I'm thanking him for all the things that he has done for me in my life. I'm thanking him for allowing me to be happy for those short months that I was allowed to stand next to him and pretend that he loves me. I'm thanking him for everything, but he only sees that I'm thanking him for this moment so he places his left hand on my knee and continues to cook with his right. He only takes his left hand away briefly when he needs it for a certain part of the recipe, but then he always puts it back. "I love you Sasuke," I mutter quietly as I watch him work.

"I love you too," he answers distractedly, but it still makes me smile.


	4. Chapter 4

After we finished dinner, I sent Naruto off to his room to sleep while I cleaned the dishes. He looked exhausted and I didn't want him to suddenly collapse in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I allowed that to happen. I, on the other hand, don't feel like I can sleep at all. I've already finished the dishes and now I'm just pacing in the living room being generally antsy. I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep any time soon.

I should probably just go to my own room and lay down. That'll probably help me actually feel tired, but I can't shake this feeling of worry about Naruto. I wish I could just sleep in the same room as him. I've wished that for a while now, actually. Why aren't we sleeping in the same room? We're supposed to be dating and living together, but we still sleep in separate rooms.

I guess it's because I wanted to respect Naruto's privacy. He had, after all, just been kicked out of his own apartment when I let him move in with me. I guess I didn't want to try to force him to sleep with me even though that was what I really wanted. I still really want to sleep with him. I wonder if he'll let me now. Now that I'm actually trying harder to be a good boyfriend for him. I could just ask him. Did I ask him when he first moved in? I don't think that I did. I think I just showed him to his room and that was that. Did he want to sleep in the same room with me too? I never actually gave him that choice. But I'll give him that choice now.

I walk up to his door so quickly that I didn't even know I had moved until I arrived in front of it, but then I freeze. I don't want to wake him up if he's asleep. He really needs his sleep, but I really want to see him right now. I finally realize that the whole reason that I'm feeling antsy is because I'm completely worried about Naruto. Something in my gut is telling me that Naruto is in trouble or not feeling well or something and I want to help him. The least I can do is check in on him. If I'm careful, I might not even wake him.

Slowly, I reach out to the door and turn the knob in front of me to open it just enough that I can slip into the room. It's dark inside the room, but something's not right. I want to reach into my weapon's pouch and pull out a kunai, but my weapon's pouch is in my bedroom at the moment and I don't have time to go and get it before I make sure that Naruto is safe. I'll protect Naruto with my bare hands if I have to.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asks from where he sits on the bed. His eyes are wide as he stares at me and I have to wonder if he's actually afraid of me or something else entirely.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly. I don't want to scare Naruto even more by being too loud. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Naruto shakes his head slowly without letting his eyes stray from me. "You didn't wake me."

"You went to bed almost an hour ago," I say with a frown. "Can you not sleep?"

Naruto shakes his head again, but this time with a little more force behind it. "I don't want to wake up Sasuke," he admits.

"But you're already awake," I point out. Something's not right. Naruto's eyes, which I didn't notice until now when I'm practically right in front of him, are filled with unshed tears. He's afraid of something. I don't think it's me that he's afraid of, but, as I reach out to touch him, he flinches away from me.

"No I'm not Sasuke," Naruto whimpers. He reaches out and grabs the hand and pulls it against his cheek. "This is just an illusion. Once I wake up I'll be back there."

"Be back where?" I ask. Better to get to the root of the problem so that I know what I should do to stop it.

"Back in that darkness," Naruto cries. I can feel his tears running down my captured hand and I use the other one to caress his other cheek and wipe away any tears that have chosen to fall down that one. "Every time I fall asleep in this illusion, I wake up back there. I wake up and I'm reminded that I'm dead and that my eternal punishment is to live in these illusions knowing that none of them are real. It's so cold in the darkness. I don't want to go back. I don't want to wake up Sasuke. Don't make me wake up."

His voice is filled with so much desperation that I almost don't want to make him sleep. I almost want to stay up forever with him just so that he doesn't have to face that darkness again, but I know he needs sleep. He needs to recover and he needs to know that he's not actually dead. "You're wrong Naruto," I try to soothe him as I pull him into my arms and press his head against my chest so that he can hear my heartbeat. It always used to calm me whenever my mom did this for me, and this served the double purpose of showing he that we're both alive. "We're alive. We're both alive. You're not dead and this isn't an illusion."

"You're lying Sasuke," Naruto sobs. "You're lying because you're part of the illusion and you have to do everything that I want you to do."

"Do you hear my heartbeat Naruto?" I ask. He nods so I continue. I grab his hand and place against his own pulse point and he gives a choked sob at the feeling. "Do you feel your own heart?"

"Yes," Naruto sobs and I can't tell if it's a happy or a sad sob.

"That proves that we're alive," I continue. "You aren't dead. This isn't an illusion. Everything is real and I love you." I throw in those last words simply because I feel like he needs to hear them.

"But what about the darkness?" Naruto looks up to me with such wide and innocent eyes that I feel like I'll never be able to let him go again.

"It's nothing Naruto," I assure him. "It's just sleep. Once your body gets enough rest you can wake up and be in the real world with me."

"But aren't you supposed to dream when you sleep?" Naruto asked.

"Some people don't dream Naruto," I answer.

"Then how do I know that the darkness isn't real?" Naruto whines as he buries himself back into my chest.

"What if you come sleep with me?" I suggest. "I'll keep you warm throughout the whole night and then, when you wake up, I'll be there to reassure you that this is real life and the darkness is no more than a nightmare."

"Will you really do that for me?" Naruto asks. He looks back up at me with those wide innocent eyes and I know that I can never refuse them even if I want to, which I definitely don't at the moment.

"Of course," I smile down at him. Without letting him go, I shift us both so that we are comfortably under the blanket of the bed. "Go to sleep Naruto. I'll be right here when you wake up."

It doesn't take Naruto long for him to finally fall asleep. I can tell that he's still trying to fight it, but he does eventually succumb to the body's necessity of sleep. From now on, I promise him without words, I will always sleep with Naruto and I will fight off the cold darkness that he fears so much. Tomorrow, after he's woken up and I've had time to reassure him that this is real just like I promised him I would, I'm going to rearrange all of our stuff so that the two of us can live in this room. It's bigger than mine and has a much more comfortable bed than mine. That's why I gave it to Naruto in the first place, but now it'll be both of ours. It'll be our room.

* * *

Just to let you guys know, this is going to be one of those chapters that i write in both points of view, so the next chapter will be this one in Naruto's point of view.

Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke sent me to my room after dinner. He said that I really need to sleep, but I don't want to. I don't want to go back to the darkness. Sasuke wants me to. The illusion wants me to. They want me to go back to the darkness where I can remind myself that I am dead. That these things that I'm seeing aren't really real. That this happiness that I'm feeling is just a construct of my mind. I don't want to remember. I've avoided going to sleep and waking up back in the darkness for these past couple days and I don't want to give up now. I want to stay in this illusion with Sasuke for as long as I can. Who knows whether the next illusion will be as happy as this one?

I hear my door open slowly as I sit on my bed. If I didn't have such good hearing I might have missed it, but my senses are enhanced because of Kyuubi's influence so I do hear the quiet movement of the door. Sasuke creeps into my room cautiously and reaches back to where his weapons pouch usually is. He must have forgotten it because he looks surprised when he doesn't find it. Instead, he puts his hands in a fighting position.

I don't understand. Did Sasuke come here to kill me? Did I fall asleep and wake up in a new illusion without realizing it? Did my illusion change while I was still awake? Or was this the illusion's plan all along? Was I supposed to feel safe enough to fall asleep only to find that Sasuke really just wanted to kill me from the beginning? I don't understand.

"Sasuke?" I ask cautiously. He hadn't looked at me until I spoke, he had been too busy looking around the room for something, but when he did look at me his whole posture relaxed. I wonder if he thought I was asleep and thought he was going to kill me while I was asleep. Then he would have to pretend that nothing was wrong when he noticed I was awake. I don't really care if Sasuke kills me in this illusion. I'm already dead anyway.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke says with a calming smile. "Did I wake you?"

"No," I shake my head slowly, but I don't want to look away from Sasuke. It'll be okay if he kills me since I'm already dead, but I don't want Sasuke to be the one to kill me. It would be okay if it was anyone else, but I think that Sasuke killing me would hurt more than anything else. Is this my real punishment? To be forced to watch Sasuke kill me over and over and over again? "You didn't wake me."

"You went to bed almost an hour ago," Sasuke says with a frown. Has it been that long? I didn't even notice. No wonder Sasuke thought I would be asleep. "Can you not sleep?"

I shake my head again, but this time with a little more force behind it. I can't sleep. Not now. I have to stay with Sasuke. I want to stay with Sasuke. I don't want to go back to that darkness. "I don't want to wake up Sasuke," he admits.

"But you're already awake," he points out. I want to tell him that I'm only awake in this illusion, that this is all just a dream that my mind is using to play tricks on me, but I can't find the words to say it correctly. What will he say if I do tell him? Will he hurt me for speaking of something so stupid or will he go through with his plan to kill me now that he knows that I know everything.

Sasuke reaches towards me and I can't help but to flinch away from him. I'm scared. I don't want Sasuke to kill me. I don't want him to kill me. I want to stay alive. But I'm already dead and I need to remember that. There's nothing to be frightened of. I knew I was going to be punished from the very beginning and I chose the course that lead to this punishment so now I have to take the punishment without any complaint.

"No I'm not Sasuke," I whimper. I'm still frightened. Even though I've decided to take my punishment, I'm still frightened. I reach out and grab the hand that he offered me and pull it against my cheek to seek the only comfort that I have ever known from the warmth of Sasuke's skin. Holding him close to me like this makes my fears start to wither away. I need this one comfort to be able to take my punishment without going crazy. "This is just an illusion. Once I wake up I'll be back there."

"Be back where?" he asks. Apparently he's going to go with the root of pretending that he doesn't know that this is all an illusion. Does he know? Maybe he really doesn't. That would just make this illusion seem even more real.

"Back in that darkness," I cry. I can't help it. Even the comfort of his warmth doesn't help me when I'm back in that cold darkness that is death. Once I fall asleep, his warmth won't be there anymore. He uses the hand that I'm not holding hostage to wipe away my tears and that gives me enough strength to go on. "Every time I fall asleep in this illusion, I wake up back there. I wake up and I'm reminded that I'm dead and that my eternal punishment is to live in these illusions knowing that none of them are real. It's so cold in the darkness. I don't want to go back. I don't want to wake up Sasuke. Don't make me wake up."

"You're wrong Naruto," he pulls me into his arms and presses my head against his chest so that I can hear his heartbeat. The warmth is stronger now and I can already feel myself calming down as I listen to the constant thump of his heart beating. He's alive. I've known this all along. He's alive and that's why I can still feel his heartbeat in this illusion, but I'm dead and I don't have a heartbeat. "We're alive. We're both alive. You're not dead and this isn't an illusion."

"You're lying Sasuke," I sob. "You're lying because you're part of the illusion and you have to do everything that I want you to do."

"Do you hear my heartbeat Naruto?" he asks and I nod. Of course I can hear his heartbeat because he's alive in the real world. He grabs my hand and places it against my neck. For a moment I wonder what he's doing, but then I can feel a pulsing pressure under my fingers and I realize that he's pressed my hand against my pulse point. The point that tells people that they're still alive by pulsing with the heart. Pulsing with my heart. My heart. My heart is beating. How is that possible? I'm supposed to be dead. My heart isn't supposed to be beating, but it is. I try to hold back a sob, but it forces it's way through my throat anyway. "Do you feel your own heart?"

"Yes," I sob.

"That proves that we're alive," he continues with that same calming voice. "You aren't dead. This isn't an illusion. Everything is real and I love you."

"But what about the darkness?" I look up to him. What about the darkness? What about that death that I keep feeling every time I close my eyes? What the darkness? Am I really alive? Sasuke said that he loves me. Would he say that if I were really alive?

"It's nothing Naruto," he assures me with a smile. "Its just sleep. Once your body gets enough rest you can wake up and be in the real world with me."

"But aren't you supposed to dream when you sleep?" I ask. I've always had dreams in my sleep. They're always nightmare, but I do always dream. And I keep hearing other people talk about their dreams.

"Some people don't dream Naruto," he answers.

"Then how do I know that the darkness isn't real?" I whine as I bury myself back into his chest. How can I know that what you are saying is real?

"What if you come sleep with me?" he suggests. I thought he didn't like sleeping with me. I thought that he gave me a separate room from him because he didn't want to sleep with me. "I'll keep you warm throughout the whole night and then, when you wake up, I'll be there to reassure you that this is real life and the darkness is no more than a nightmare."

"Will you really do that for me?" I ask as I look back up at him just to make sure that he is serious about his offer. I don't want him to be sacrificing anything for me if he really doesn't want to sleep with me, but I've always wanted to sleep with him.

"Of course," he smiles down at me. Without letting him go, he shifts us both so that we are comfortably under the blanket of the bed. "Go to sleep Naruto. I'll be right here when you wake up."

I really don't want to go to sleep even though he promised to be there when I wake up because the cold darkness still scares me, but his warmth soon lulls me to sleep. It is dark, just like it was the first time, and I can't see anything, but I feel so warm. Sasuke's still holding me even in this darkness. Sasuke's still holding me even as I sleep.

* * *

Here's Naruto's point of view. The next few chapters are going to go back to alternating views on each scene. Thanks for reading.


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